Dig these classic concoctions out of your liquor cabinet

Classic Grasshopper

After the holiday spending spree comes the reckoning, or at least the credit card bill. It's enough to drive you to drink, if only you could afford to.

For many of us, January - especially this recession-battered January - is not the best time for splurging on single malt scotch or artisanal tequila or even a decent bottle of vodka.

It is, however, a terrific time to clear out the liquor cabinet.

Not only will you be able to get some much-needed shelf space, but if you're like most of us, you'll discover a treasure trove of great cocktail ingredients.

Chances are you'll find an array of strange spirits and liqueurs that friends brought over for long-forgotten dinner parties, not to mention the cherry kirsch you bought for a Black Forest Cake and the mescal you brought back from Mazatlan and the Crème de Violette that you barely touched when you realized that you didn't really like Aviations that much after all . . .

The question is, what do you do with all that stuff? You can always experiment with a splash of this and a shot of that and create your own concoctions. But to be on the safe side, you might want to stick with classic cocktails.

Here are five old-school liqueurs you might just find lurking in the back of the cabinet - and the classic recipes to make with them.

Galliano

Liquore Galliano L'Autentico is a sweet, Italian herbal liqueur made with 30 ingredients including star anise, ginger, citrus and vanilla. It's designed to be drunk as a digestif, though it's also used in cocktails, most famously the Harvey Wallbanger, which is making a comeback on drinks lists like the one at So.cial Restaurant in Gastown.

Harvey Wallbanger

1 ounce vodka

4 ounces orange juice

1z2 ounce Galliano

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Pour in vodka and OJ and stir, then float Galliano on top. Serves 1.

Crème de menthe

Crème de menthe is a sweet, mint-flavoured liqueur available in both "white" (that is, clear) and green versions. Back in the '70s it was often served as an after-dinner drink, and is the essential ingredient in Grasshoppers, Stingers and unfortunate holiday-themed cocktails like peppermint martinis.

Pour ingredients into a cocktail share with ice. Shake hard for at least a minute. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and dust with fresh nutmeg. Serves 1.

Advocaat

Advocaat (or advokatt) is a bright yellow, rich and creamy Dutch liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy. The most famous advocaat cocktail is the Snowball, but it's also delicious shaken with brandy and gingerbread spices the way Voya at the Loden Hotel has done with its Figgy Pudding cocktail.

Snowball

2 ounces advocaat

Juice of half a lime

4 ounces sparkling lemonade, Sprite, 7Up or other lemon-lime soda

Pour advocaat into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add lime juice, top with soda and stir. Serves 1.

Crème de cassis

On its own, this black currant-flavoured liqueur from France's Burgundy region can be teeth-furringly sweet. But drizzle it in a cocktail the way Nu has done with its Vesper Martini, and it adds an intense hit of fruity flavour. Crème de cassis is also the essential ingredient in the classic Kir or Kir Royale, and if you haven't tasted this refreshing French cocktail in a while, it's time to try it all over again.

Kir

Crisp white wine, chilled

1z2 ounce crème de cassis

Pour a glass of wine, then slowly pour the cassis into the wine. Make it a Kir Royale by using sparkling wine; make it a Kir Imperiale by substituting framboise (raspberry liqueur) for the cassis. Serves 1.

Amaretto

Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavoured Italian liqueur that makes for a great ingredient in many mixed drinks, such as Blueberry Tea and the classic Alabama Slammer.

Alabama Slammer

1 ounce Southern Comfort liqueur

1 ounce amaretto liqueur

1 dash grenadine syrup

4 ounces orange juice

In a glass of ice, combine Southern Comfort, amaretto and grenadine. Top with orange juice and stir. Serves 1.

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